2021's Mortal Kombat movie was mostly well-received by fans, but the decision to make the movie's lead a newly created character, Cole Young, drew a largely negative response in contrast.
Iron Fist and Deadpool 2 actor Lewis Tan played Cole, and in the sequel released earlier this month, he goes from being the focal point of that first instalment to only getting a couple of minutes of screentime. Then, in one of Mortal Kombat II's goriest Fatalities, his head is caved in by Shao Khan and his remains are thrown into acid.
He's as dead as dead can be, and this was clearly a message to fans that the filmmakers have taken their feedback on board. Even so, it's hard not to feel for Tan; Mortal Kombat was his biggest role yet, and to be dispatched so quickly and brutally, that had to hurt, right?
Confirming that he learned of Cole's fate "earlier on," Tan explained (via GameFragger.com) his character's role in the franchise by saying, "The first movie was a starting point: I like to look at it as a prequel to getting into the tournament. Then the second movie goes straight into the tournament. The entry point was this new character, Cole Young. A lot of fans who I’ve met liked that perspective and enjoyed it."
Admitting that "there [are] a lot of people who are hardcore game fans who didn’t think that it was needed," Tan praised Karl Urban, who, as Johnny Cage, essentially takes over from him as Mortal Kombat II's lead.
While resurrection is a big part of the series (a few Fatality victims who died in the first movie return for this sequel), Tan confirmed that "Cole is done," and hinted a few times that he could return as a different character.
"If I were to come back in Mortal Kombat III, it would be in a different way," he teased. "We’ll figure that out as it goes, but there have been a lot of fans asking for a casting for different characters, and there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes talk about how we can make it work."
"Nobody wants to get killed as an actor in any of these films. At the same time, it opens up some potential new opportunities for me, possibly in the world of Mortal Kombat. I don’t want to say too much, but I feel like I have a lot more to offer and I was limited in what I could deliver with that role, in many ways."
"Whether having an original character like Cole was the right decision or wrong decision, I don’t know. I’m grateful for the opportunity," Tan continued. "But I do think that there’s more that I could offer with my skill set and other characters that I could have played or potentially could play. Sub-Zero died, Kung Lao died, and they all came back. There’s a plan."
Asked about the send-off for Cole, it doesn't sound like he was unhappy with the MMA fighter's Fatality at the hands of Shao Khan. "To get your head smashed and get pushed into a pool of acid. That’s pretty bad, in a good way," the actor admitted.
The Mortal Kombat sequel's writer and director have both hinted at Tan returning as a character from the games, so assuming we get a threequel, his time in this franchise likely isn't over yet. As for Cole Young, all signs point to his death being very permanent.
Mortal Kombat II is now playing in theaters.